Challenges to the central nervous system during human spaceflight missions to Mars.

Space travel presents a number of environmental challenges to the central nervous system, including changes in gravitational acceleration that alter the terrestrial synergies between perception and action, galactic cosmic radiation that can damage sensitive neurons and structures, and multiple factors (isolation, confinement, altered atmosphere, and mission parameters, including distance from Earth) that can affect cognition and behavior. Travelers to Mars will be exposed to these environmental challenges for up to 3 years, and space-faring nations continue to direct vigorous research investments to help elucidate and mitigate the consequences of these long-duration exposures. This article reviews the findings of more than 50 years of space-related neuroscience research on humans and animals exposed to spaceflight or analogs of spaceflight environments, and projects the implications and the forward work necessary to ensure successful Mars missions. It also reviews fundamental neurophysiology responses that will help us understand and maintain human health and performance on Earth.

Effects of speed and direction of perturbation on electroencephalographic and balance responses.

The modulation of perturbation-evoked potential (PEP) N1 as a function of different biomechanical characteristics of perturbation has been investigated before. However, it remains unknown whether the PEP N1 modulation contributes to the shaping of the functional postural response. To improve this understanding, we examined the modulation of functional postural response in relation to the PEP N1 response in ten healthy young subjects during unpredictable perturbations to their upright stance-translations of the support surface in a forward or backward direction at two different amplitudes of constant speed. Using independent components from the fronto-central region, obtained from subject-specific head models created from the MRI, our results show that the latency of onset of the functional postural response after the PEP N1 response was faster for forward than backward perturbations at a constant speed but was not affected by the speed of perturbation. Further, our results reinforce some of the previous findings that suggested that the N1 peak amplitude and peak latency are both modulated by the speed of perturbation but not by the direction of the perturbation. Our results improve the understanding of the relation between characteristics of perturbation and the neurophysiology of reactive balance control and may have implications for the design of brain-machine interfaces for populations with a higher risk of falls.

Cortical activity modulations underlying age-related performance differences during posture-cognition dual tasking.

To date, no systematic research investigating cortical correlates of performance changes in dual tasking has been reported in the elderly population. Thus, we monitored whole-scalp cortical activations (EEG) during both single task and posture-cognition dual tasking with the main goal of understanding cortical activity modulations underlying age-related differences on posture-cognition dual tasking conditions. Postural and cognitive data analyses showed that elderly people had decreased cognitive performance even during challenging single cognitive tasks. Working memory impairments in the elderly group can be observed when a challenging cognitive task is performed in any postural condition, while postural control performance differences only became significant during challenging dual task conditions. Behavioral performance results, in general, indicate that elderly subjects may adopt a non-automated conscious control strategy and prioritize postural performance over cognitive performance to maintain upright stance only when the cognitive load is low. EEG analyses showed increased delta, theta and gamma oscillations, primarily over frontal, central-frontal, central and central-parietal cortices during dual tasking conditions. We found that delta oscillations were more responsive to challenging postural conditions presumably related to cortical representations of changing sensory conditions in postural tasks. Theta rhythms, on the other hand, were more responsive to cognitive task difficulty in both groups, with more pronounced increases in younger subjects which may underlie neural correlates of high-level cognitive computations including encoding and retrieval. Gamma oscillations also increased in the elderly primarily over central and central-parietal cortices during challenging postural tasks, indicating increased allocation of attentional sources to postural tasks.

Short-arm centrifugation as a partially effective musculoskeletal countermeasure during 5-day head-down tilt bed rest--results from the BRAG1 study.

PURPOSE: Human centrifugation, also called artificial gravity (AG), is proposed as a combined strategy against detrimental effects of microgravity in long-term space missions. This study scrutinized human short-arm centrifugation as countermeasure against musculoskeletal de-conditioning. METHOD: Eleven healthy male subjects [mean age of 34 (SD 7) years] completed the cross-over trial, including three campaigns of -6° head-down tilt bed rest (HDT) for 5 days, with preceding baseline data collection and recovery phases. Bed rest without AG was used as control condition (Ctrl), and AG with 1 g at the center of mass applied once per day for 30 min in one bout (AG1×30) and in 6 bouts of 5 min (AG6×5, 3-min rest between bouts) as experimental conditions. End-points were muscle strength, vertical jump performance, and biomarkers of bone and protein metabolism. RESULT: AG6×5 was better tolerated than AG1×30. Bone resorption markers CTX, NTX, and DPD all increased by approximately 25 % toward the end of bed rest (P < 0.001), and nitrogen balance decreased by approximately 3 g/day (P < 0.001), without any protection by AG (P > 0.4). Decreases in vertical jump height by 2.1 (SE 0.6) cm after Ctrl bed rest was prevented by either of the AG protocols (P = 0.039). CONCLUSION: The present study yielded succinct catabolic effects upon muscle and bone metabolism that were un-prevented by AG. The preservation of vertical jump performance by AG in this study is likely caused by central nervous rather than by peripheral musculoskeletal effects.

Artificial gravity training reduces bed rest-induced cardiovascular deconditioning.

We studied 15 men (8 treatment, 7 control) before and after 21 days of 6º head-down tilt to determine whether daily, 1-h exposures to 1.0 G(z) (at the heart) artificial gravity (AG) would prevent bed rest-induced cardiovascular deconditioning. Testing included echocardiographic analysis of cardiac function, plasma volume (PV), aerobic power (VO(2)pk) and cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses to 80º head-up tilt (HUT). Data collected during HUT were ECG, stroke volume (SV), blood pressure (BP) and blood for catecholamines and vasoactive hormones. Heart rate (HR), cardiac output (CO), total peripheral resistance, and spectral power of BP and HR were calculated. Bed rest decreased PV, supine and HUT SV, and indices of cardiac function in both groups. Although PV was decreased in control and AG after bed rest, AG attenuated the decrease in orthostatic tolerance [pre- to post-bed rest change; control: -11.8 ± 2.0, AG: -6.0 ± 2.8 min (p = 0.012)] and VO(2)pk [pre- to post-bed rest change; control: -0.39 ± 0.11, AG: -0.17 ± 0.06 L/min (p = 0.041)]. AG prevented increases in pre-tilt levels of plasma renin activity [pre- to post-bed rest change; control: 1.53 ± 0.23, AG: -0.07 ± 0.34 ng/mL/h (p = 0.001)] and angiotensin II [pre- to post-bed rest change; control: 3.00 ± 1.04, AG: -0.63 ± 0.81 pg/mL (p = 0.009)] and increased HUT aldosterone [post-bed rest; control: 107 ± 30 pg/mL, AG: 229 ± 68 pg/mL (p = 0.045)] and norepinephrine [post-bed rest; control: 453 ± 107, AG: 732 ± 131 pg/mL (p = 0.003)]. We conclude that AG can mitigate some aspects of bed rest-induced cardiovascular deconditioning, including orthostatic intolerance and aerobic power. Mechanisms of improvement were not cardiac-mediated, but likely through improved sympathetic responsiveness to orthostatic stress.

Assessment of Biomechanical Predictors of Occurrence of Low-Amplitude N1 Potentials Evoked by Naturally Occurring Postural Instabilities.

Naturally occurring postural instabilities that occur while standing and walking elicit specific cortical responses in the fronto-central regions (N1 potentials) followed by corrective balance responses to prevent falling. However, no framework could simultaneously track different biomechanical parameters preceding N1s, predict N1s, and assess their predictive power. Here, we propose a framework and show its utility by examining cortical activity (through electroencephalography [EEG]), ground reaction forces, and head acceleration in the anterior-posterior (AP) direction. Ten healthy young adults carried out a balance task of standing on a support surface with or without sway referencing in the AP direction, amplifying, or dampening natural body sway. Using independent components from the fronto-central cortical region obtained from subject-specific head models, we first robustly validated a prior approach on identifying low-amplitude N1 potentials before early signs of balance corrections. Then, a machine learning algorithm was used to evaluate different biomechanical parameters obtained before N1 potentials, to predict the occurrence of N1s. When different biomechanical parameters were directly compared, the time to boundary (TTB) was found to be the best predictor of the occurrence of upcoming low-amplitude N1 potentials during a balance task. Based on these findings, we confirm that the spatio-temporal characteristics of the center of pressure (COP) might serve as an essential parameter that can facilitate the early detection of postural instability in a balance task. Extending our framework to identify such biomarkers in dynamic situations like walking might improve the implementation of corrective balance responses through brain-machine-interfaces to reduce falls in the elderly.

Effects of head-down bed rest and artificial gravity on spatial orientation.

We studied spatial orientation before and after 21 days of 6 degrees head-down bed rest in 15 subjects. During bed rest, 8 subjects were treated daily with 1 h Gz centrifugation (artificial gravity) (2.5 g at the feet; 1.0 g at the heart), with 7 subjects serving as controls. Ocular counter-rolling and subjective visual vertical were assessed during 90 degrees whole body roll tilt to the left and right. Ocular counter-rolling was unaffected by bed rest and bed rest + artificial gravity. Performance on the subjective visual vertical task was unchanged in the control group, but exhibited a significant increase in error for 48 h after bed rest in the treatment (artificial gravity) group. Intermittent application of linear acceleration along the long body axis may have increased the weighting of the idiotropic vector, resulting in an increased bias of the subjective visual vertical toward the long body axis during 90 degrees roll tilt.

Diagnostic accuracy of dynamic posturography testing after short-duration spaceflight.

INTRODUCTION: Astronauts face transient disruptions of sensorimotor functions after spaceflight. Computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) testing has been used to document functional recovery; however, its objective value in return-to-duty decision-making has not been established. Therefore, we studied the diagnostic accuracy of CDP to determine the most effective test components for probing post-spaceflight sensorimotor deficits. METHODS: There were 11 first-time astronauts and 11 matched controls who were evaluated by CDP before and after spaceflight (controls did not fly). All CDP testing was conducted with eyes closed while standing on a computer-controlled force plate. Somatosensory influences were either unperturbed (stationary force plate) or altered (unstable force plate), and vestibular influences were either unperturbed (head erect) or altered by static (head pitched forward or back by 200) or dynamic (head pitched voluntarily in cadence with an auditory signal: +/- 20 degrees at 0.33 Hz) challenges. Using equilibrium (EQ) scores derived from peak A-P sway as the dependent measure, we determined the sensitivity and specificity of each test condition and then constructed receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves to determine their diagnostic accuracies. RESULTS: The greatest diagnostic accuracy was obtained from the test requiring the subject to make dynamic head movements while standing on an unstable force plate (94.9% sensitivity 96.6% specificity, area under ROC curve = 0.991). By contrast, the estimated ROC area for the standard clinical Romberg test (fixed support, head erect), which is often used to make postflight return-to-duty decisions, was 0.718. CONCLUSION: We recommend that results from this test paradigm be considered during postflight return-to-duty decision-making.

Postural reflexes, balance control, and functional mobility with long-duration head-down bed rest.

INTRODUCTION: Spaceflight has functionally significant effects on sensorimotor behavior, but it is difficult to separate the effects of ascending somatosensory changes caused by postural muscle and plantar surface unloading from descending visual-vestibular neural changes. To differentiate somatosensory changes from graviceptor changes in post-spaceflight sensorimotor behavior, bed rest may serve as an exclusionary analog to spaceflight. METHODS: Four separate tests were used to measure changes in sensorimotor performance: 1) the monosynaptic stretch reflex (MSR); 2) the functional stretch reflex (FSR); 3) balance control parameters associated with computerized dynamic posturography (CDP); and 4) a functional mobility test (FMT). RESULTS: A mixed model regression analysis showed significant increases in median MSR start and peak latencies, while the median FSR latency showed no significant increase. Median MSR peak magnitude showed a significant increase during the middle bed rest period (19-60 d). There were no significant effects of bed rest on balance control, but some indication that dynamic head movements may affect posture after bed rest. Time to complete the course for the FMT increased significantly with bed rest. DISCUSSION: The four primary tests indicate that long-duration head-down bed rest, through unloading and modification of the body's support surface, serves as an exclusionary analog for sensorimotor responses to spaceflight. Furthermore, the data suggest that procedures designed to alleviate modifications to the sensory substrate serving the soles of the feet may provide a countermeasure to help maintain support afferentation of the postural muscles.

Changes in gain of horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex during spaceflight.

BACKGROUND: The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) is a basic function of the vestibular system that stabilizes gaze during head movement. Investigations on how spaceflight affects VOR gain and phase are few, and the magnitude of observed changes varies considerably and depends on the protocols used. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether the gain and phase of the VOR in darkness and the visually assisted VOR were affected during and after spaceflight. METHODS: We measured the VOR gain and phase of 4 astronauts during and after a Space Shuttle spaceflight while the subjects voluntary oscillated their head around the yaw axis at 0.33 Hz or 1 Hz and fixed their gaze on a visual target (VVOR) or imagined this target when vision was occluded (DVOR). Eye position was recorded using electrooculography and angular velocity of the head was recorded with angular rate sensors. RESULTS: The VVOR gain at both oscillation frequencies remained near unity for all trials. DVOR gain was more variable inflight and postflight. Early inflight and immediately after the flight, DVOR gain was lower than before the flight. The phase between head and eye position was not altered by spaceflight. CONCLUSION: The decrease in DVOR gain early in the flight and after the flight reflects adaptive changes in central integration of vestibular and proprioceptive sensory inputs during active head movements.

Fronto-Parietal Brain Areas Contribute to the Online Control of Posture during a Continuous Balance Task.

Neuroimaging studies have provided evidence for the involvement of frontal and parietal cortices in postural control. However, the specific role of these brain areas for postural control remains to be known. Here, we investigated the effects of disruptive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over supplementary motor areas (SMA) during challenging continuous balance task in healthy young adults. We hypothesized that a virtual lesion of SMA will alter activation within the brain network identified using electroencephalography (EEG) and impair performance of the postural task. Twenty healthy young adults received either continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) or sham stimulation over SMA followed by the performance of a continuous balance task with or without somatosensory input distortion created by sway-referencing the support surface. cTBS over SMA compared to sham stimulation showed a smaller increase in root mean square of center of pressure as the difficulty of continuous balance task increased suggestive of altered postural control mechanisms to find a stable solution under challenging sensory conditions. Consistent with earlier studies, we found sources of EEG activation within anterior cingulate (AC), cingulate gyrus (CG), bilateral posterior parietal regions (PPC) during the balance task. Importantly, cTBS over SMA compared to sham stimulation altered EEG power within the identified fronto-parietal regions. These findings suggest that the changes in activation within distant fronto-parietal brain areas following cTBS over SMA contributed to the altered postural behavior. Our study confirms a critical role of AC, CG, and both PPC regions in calibrating online postural responses during a challenging continuous balance task.

Cortical control of upright stance in elderly.

This study examined differences between young and elderly volunteers in cortical involvement to human posture control during quiet stance with normal and altered sensory stimulation (Experiment-1), and biomechanical perturbations (Experiment-2). The primary focus of the first part was to monitor changes in cortical activity when unexpectedly altering the sensory conditions of upright stance, such as switching from stable (eyes open, fixed support surface) to less-stable (eyes closed, sway-referenced support surface) conditions. Our results demonstrate increased cortical activations in delta (0.2-4 Hz) and gamma (30-50 Hz) oscillations, primarily over central-frontal, central, and central parietal cortices during challenging postural conditions. While increased delta rhythms were observed in both groups during challenging sensory conditions, elderly individuals also showed increased gamma band activity over sensorimotor and parietal cortices, when compared to the younger group. To our knowledge, this study is the first to show age differences in balance related cortical activations during continuous postural tasks with challenging sensory conditions. Preliminary correlations also suggest that increased cerebral activity became more relevant to the control of Center of Mass (COM) dynamics when upright stance is threatened. The results of Experiment-2 also showed for the first time that oscillatory rhythms of the cortex are coherent with muscle firing characteristics suggesting increased corticospinal drive from leg motor cortex to lower limb motoneurons following postural perturbations. Finally, perturbation evoked potential (PEP) analyses suggest that, rather than motor system malfunctioning, impairments in perceptual processing of sensory afference forms the basis of prolonged muscle response delays during perturbed balance in the elderly.

Critical Role of Somatosensation in Postural Control Following Spaceflight: Vestibularly Deficient Astronauts Are Not Able to Maintain Upright Stance During Compromised Somatosensation.

The free-fall of orbital spaceflight effectively removes the gravitational vector used as a primary spatial orientation reference on Earth. Sustained absence of this reference drives adaptive changes in the internal perception-action models of the central nervous system (CNS), most notably in the processing of the vestibular otolith inputs. Upon landing, the return of the gravitational signal triggers a re-adaptation that restores terrestrial performance; however, during this period, the individual suffers from a functional vestibular deficiency. Here we provide evidence of a transient increase of the weighting of somatosensory inputs in postural control while the CNS resolves these vestibular deficiencies. Postural control performance was measured before and after spaceflight in 11 Shuttle astronauts and 11 matched controls and nine elderly who did not experience spaceflight. A quiet-stance paradigm was used that eliminated vision, modulated the lower extremity somatosensory cues by subtly modulating the orientation of the support surface beneath feet of subjects in all groups. Additionally, in astronauts and matched controls, we challenged the vestibular system with dynamic head tilts. Postural stability on the landing day (R+0) was substantially decreased for trials with absent visual and altered somatosensory cues, especially those also requiring dynamic head tilts ( ± 5° @ 0.33 Hz) during which 20/22 trials ended prematurely with a fall. In contrast, none of the astronauts fell during eyes-closed, dynamic head tilt trials with unaltered somatosensory cues, and only 3/22 trials resulted in falls with eyes-closed and altered somatosensory cues, but static upright head orientation. Furthermore, postural control performance of astronauts was either statistically not different or worse than that of healthy elderly subjects during the most challenging vestibular conditions on R+0. Overall, our results demonstrate a transient reweighting of sensory cues associated with microgravity-induced vestibular deficiencies, with a significant increase in reliance on somatosensory cues, which can provide an effective reference even without vision and with dynamic vestibular challenges. The translation of these results to aging population suggests that elderly individuals with visual and vestibular deficits may benefit from therapeutic interventions enhancing sensorimotor-integration to improve balance and reduce the risk of falling.

Assessing multiple muscle activation during squat movements with different loading conditions - an EMG study.

Surface electromyography (EMG) is a valuable tool in clinical diagnostics and research related to human neuromotor control. Non-linear analysis of EMG data can help with detection of subtle changes of control due to changes of external or internal constraints during motor tasks. However, non-linear analysis is complex and results may be difficult to interpret, particularly in clinical environments. We developed a non-linear analysis tool (SYNERGOS) that evaluates multiple muscle activation (MMA) features and provides a single value for description of activation characteristics. To investigate the responsiveness of SYNERGOS to kinetic changes during cyclic movements, 13 healthy young adults performed squat movements under different loading conditions (100%-120% of body weight). We processed EMG data to generate SYNERGOS indices and used two-way repeated measures ANOVA to determine changes of MMA in response to loading conditions during movement. SYNERGOS values were significantly different for each loading condition. We concluded that the algorithm is sensitive to kinetic changes during cyclic movements, which may have implications for applications in a variety of experimental and diagnostic settings.

Vibration exposure and biodynamic responses during whole-body vibration training.

PURPOSE: Excessive, chronic whole-body vibration (WBV) has a number of negative side effects on the human body, including disorders of the skeletal, digestive, reproductive, visual, and vestibular systems. Whole-body vibration training (WBVT) is intentional exposure to WBV to increase leg muscle strength, bone mineral density, health-related quality of life, and decrease back pain. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively evaluate vibration exposure and biodynamic responses during typical WBVT regimens. METHODS: Healthy men and women (N = 16) were recruited to perform slow, unloaded squats during WBVT (30 Hz; 4 mm(p-p)), during which knee flexion angle (KA), mechanical impedance, head acceleration (Ha(rms)), and estimated vibration dose value (eVDV) were measured. WBVT was repeated using two forms of vibration: 1) vertical forces to both feet simultaneously (VV), and 2) upward forces to only one foot at a time (RV). RESULTS: Mechanical impedance varied inversely with KA during RV (effect size, eta(p)(2): 0.668, P < 0.01) and VV (eta(p)(2): 0.533, P < 0.05). Ha(rms) varied with KA (eta(p)(2): 0.686, P < 0.01) and is greater during VV than during RV at all KA (P < 0.01). The effect of KA on Ha(rms) is different for RV and VV (eta(p)(2): 0.567, P < 0.05). The eVDV associated with typical RV and VV training regimens (30 Hz, 4 mm(p-p), 10 min.d(-1)) exceeds the recommended daily vibration exposure as defined by ISO 2631-1 (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: ISO standards indicate that 10 min.d(-1) WBVT is potentially harmful to the human body; the risk of adverse health effects may be lower during RV than VV and at half-squats rather than full-squats or upright stance. More research is needed to explore the long-term health hazards of WBVT.

Variation in neuromuscular responses during acute whole-body vibration exercise.

PURPOSE: Leg muscle strength and power are increased after whole-body vibration (WBV) exercise. These effects may result from increased neuromuscular activation during WBV; however, previous studies of neuromuscular responses during WBV have not accounted for motion artifact. METHODS: Sixteen healthy adults performed a series of static and dynamic unloaded squats with and without two different directions of WBV (rotational vibration, RV; and vertical vibration, VV; 30 Hz; 4 mmp-p). Activation of unilateral vastus lateralis, biceps femoris, gastrocnemius, and tibialis anterior was recorded using EMG. During RV and VV, increases in EMG relative to baseline were compared over a range of knee angles, contraction types (concentric, eccentric, isometric), and squatting types (static, dynamic). RESULTS: After removing large, vibration-induced artifacts from EMG data using digital band-stop filters, neuromuscular activation of all four muscles increased significantly (P

Age associated differences in postural equilibrium control: a comparison between EQscore and minimum time to contact (TTC(min)).

Increased postural instability and the subsequent elevation in fall incidence with increasing age are important contributors for hip fractures and developing frailty. When testing for such instability, most studies characterize balance in terms of center-of-mass (COM) deviation from a finite point, the "equilibrium point", located at the center of a subject's stance. For example, the clinically accepted equilibrium score (EQscore) represents instability as the maximum peak-to-peak sway about the "equilibrium point". An alternative theory views balance as being controlled within a "stability margin" in which all corrective actions are based on the time to contact (TTC) of the body's COM with that margin. This study examines the differences offered by evaluating balance control using the EQscore and TTC approach across several age groups and sessions. Consenting subjects from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging were recruited (N=155) from each age decade (20s-80s) who were generally healthy and free from neurological diagnoses. Results showed TTC tests detected significant variations in eyes open versus eyes closed testing that were unpredictable by EQscore. Further, TTC produced differences in age-related stability threats not seen using EQscore. The TTC data also provided a discriminating difference between subjects who fell in the difficult tests and those who maintained posture. Overall, these data suggest EQscore might not sufficiently account for dynamic control components the body may be using to maintain balance. TTC may offer a more accurate estimate of postural stability (functional ability) than EQscore based on its inclusion of a velocity component to detect dynamic changes.

Bed Rest and Intermittent Centrifugation Effects on Human Balance and Neuromotor Reflexes.

INTRODUCTION: The effects of repeated centrifugation in association with head-down tilt (HDT) bed rest (BR) on the mediation of basic reflexes associated with the major postural muscles was investigated as a potential countermeasure for maintaining balance control and neuromotor reflex function. METHODS: There were 15 male volunteers who were exposed to 21 d of 6° HDT-BR. Eight were treated with daily 1-h artificial gravity (AG) exposures aboard a short radius centrifuge that provided 1-g footward loading at heart level. The other seven served as HDT-BR control subjects. Balance control was assessed using a standard computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) protocol that was modified by adding low-frequency pitch-plane head movements. Neuromotor reflex function was assessed using tendon stretch reflexes (MSR) and functional stretch reflex (FSR) data collected from the triceps surae muscle group. RESULTS: CDP performance was degraded by HDT-BR in both groups (ranging from 24 to 26%), but was unaffected by AG. BR also degraded MSR and FSR functions in both groups, with increased peak reflex latencies between 1.5 and 1.95 ms, but AG maintained pre-BR latencies for the MSR subjects. DISCUSSION: AG exposure did not modify balance control from pre-BR responses, but did help prevent decrements in FSR latencies post-BR.Paloski WH, Reschke MF, Feiveson AH. Bed rest and intermittent centrifugation effects on human balance and neuromotor reflexes. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2017; 88(9):812-818.

Space motion sickness: incidence, etiology, and countermeasures.

Space motion sickness is experienced by 60% to 80% of space travelers during their first 2 to 3 days in microgravity and by a similar proportion during their first few days after return to Earth. Space motion sickness symptoms are similar to those in other forms of motion sickness; they include: pallor, increased body warmth, cold sweating, malaise, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, vomiting, and anorexia. These are important because they may affect the operational performance of astronauts. Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain space motion sickness: the fluid shift hypothesis and the sensory conflict hypothesis. The fluid shift hypothesis suggests that space motion sickness results from the cranial shifting of body fluids resulting from the loss of hydrostatic pressure gradients in the lower body when entering microgravity. The cranial fluid shifts lead to visible puffiness in the face, and are thought to increase the intracranial pressure, the cerebrospinal-fluid pressure or the inner ear fluid pressures, altering the response properties of the vestibular receptors and inducing space motion sickness. The sensory conflict hypothesis suggests that loss of tilt-related otolith signals upon entry into microgravity causes a conflict between actual and anticipated signals from sense organs subserving spatial orientation. Such sensory conflicts are thought to induce motion sickness in other environments. Space motion sickness is usually treated using pharmaceuticals, most of which have undesirable side effects. Further studies elucidating the underlying mechanism for space motion sickness may be required for developing new treatments.

Destabilization of human balance control by static and dynamic head tilts.

To better understand the effects of varying head movement frequencies on human balance control, 12 healthy adult humans were studied during static and dynamic (0.14, 0.33, 0.6 Hz) head tilts of +/- 30 degrees in the pitch and roll planes. Postural sway was measured during upright stance with eyes closed and altered somatosensory inputs provided by a computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) system. Subjects were able to maintain upright stance with static head tilts, although postural sway was increased during neck extension. Postural stability was decreased during dynamic head tilts, and the degree of destabilization varied directly with increasing frequency of head tilt. In the absence of vision and accurate foot support surface inputs, postural stability may be compromised during dynamic head tilts due to a decreased ability of the vestibular system to discern the orientation of gravity. This instability may compound the risk of falling following recovery from balance disorders or adaptation to altered gravity conditions such as space flight. Thus, dynamic head tilts may improve the diagnostic sensitivity of computerized dynamic posturography, particularly for healthy subjects recovering from temporary balance control deficits.